Assassin's Protege The Lost Years
by Kari Suttle
Summary: A companion to my fic Assassin's Protege, this is a series of inter-related one-shots about young child assassin Todd when he was a kid growing up in the care of his trainer and caretaker Lauri.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note:

This is a one-shot from one of my un-posted Gundam Wing fanfics, "Assassin's Protégé." Todd is about 5 in this chapter, and Lauri is around, oh, mid twenties? Yeah, around 25.

"Lauri, look!" Todd exclaimed, bounding over to the hotel window and pointing eagerly out at the snow gathered on the windowsill. "Its snowing, Lauri! Its snowing!"

Lauri laughed, her lips twitching upwards in a smile. "Yes, it is, Todd."

"Can I go outside? Please?" The tiny five year old bounced in place, eyes glued to the window, still begging. "I wanna go outside and build a snowman! Please?"

Lauri sighed and hung her head in defeat. "Fine, we'll go outside…but only for a bit, and only if you're all bundled up, got it?" Todd nodded vigorously, bolting to the closet to fulfill her wishes.

Lauri watched him race to put his coat and stuff on, her expression melancholy. He might be an assassin's protégé, but he was still a five year old kid. For just a moment, regret filled her soul. Sometimes she hated what she was doing to him. Unforunately for both him and her, there was no choice in the matter. It was either this or her boss would have him killed for knowing too much and her for disobeying orders. She sighed.

Todd's excited voice pulled her out of her thoughts. "Lauri, hurry up, lets go!" He was pulling at her pantleg, urging her towards the door.

Pushing her thoughts away, she pulled on a smile. "Ok, Todd, I'm coming, just let me go grab my coat."

"Yay!" Todd cried, releasing her pantleg and dashing for the door. She smiled sadly. The thingsshe had to do to him just to keep him alive…the least she could do was let him play in the snow for a while. She grabbed her coat off the bed and went over to the door.

Todd grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door and down the hall, walking as fast as he could without actually running. It looked to her like today would be a snow day after all.

A/N: Sorry for the shortness. Normally the one-shots are about five pages long typed, but this one was really short. It was a written assignment that I found while cleaning out my school binder, and I decided to type it up. More will be coming soon! I have several one-shots already written and even more planned. Most will average five pages typed, as I already said. Most will also feature Todd as a kid cause I think he's just adorable when he's still almost innocent. Or as innocent as a gun-toting child can be. Anyone else who is reading my other fic, The Fox Boy, expect an update after about two weeks. I have five projects I'm working on right now, and I'm typing these one-shots up in what little spare time I get. READ AND REVIEW!!


	2. Chapter 2

_Misson: Toy_

In those days, I was still largely innocent. At five, all I cared about was pleasing my 'Auntie' Lauri by being a really good assistant assassin for her so I could make her happy and earn a new toy. My whole life revolved around that back then, enveloped my every thought and my every decision. I made so many mistakes, killed so many people alongside her, made myself into the protégé of an assassin, just because completing the mission made Lauri happy. Looking back, I wish I hadn't followed her so blindly. But I did, and I thought the world of her. I wanted stay with Lauri forever as my new mom. She was all I had after my mom and dad died, and so I had clung to her like a lifeline. I couldn't imagine living without my 'Auntie' Lauri. There was one particular day, on a regular, weekly trip to the grocery store, when I about had a panic attack when I got lost, separated from her.

Lauri had been in a particularly bad mood that morning, and being an overly-sensitive five year old I had timidly stayed quiet the whole way to the grocery store. Lauri's emotions tended to creep into her expression and her actions, and that day was no exception—her driving that morning was fast, unpredictable, and angry. As I clung to the armrest of the window seat, I begged silently to myself that Lauri hadn't forgotten her promise yesterday to buy me a new toy. I had completed the training mission earlier in the week with flying colors and Lauri had said that I deserved a reward for it.

We arrived at the grocery store at the corner four blocks from our hotel and I hurried to climb out of the car. No need to make Lauri—um, Auntie—wait after all. Lauri walked fast and I had to walk really fast to keep up with her, being so much smaller than her.

I quickly got excited as we made our way to the left end of the store. Lauri had remembered! My step got a bounce to it as we approached the toy isles. I was gonna get a toy! I was gonna get the Thomas the Train Engine toy from my favorite show! My heart plummeted when Lauri skipped the toy section entirely, heading into the kitchenware section. My face fell emmediately as Lauri began to inspect the various pots and pans littering the shelves. She did forget!

'Lauri forgot! But she promised me! She promised me a new toy for completing the last training mission a few days ago! Lauri didn't remember...' Despite my valiant efforts not to cry, I started to sniffle and get teary-eyed. 'Maybe its because her boss made her mad…I don't wanna make Lauri madder by reminding her. Daddy always got mad when I reminded him of something he promised to do for me…' Then I got an idea. 'I can go get it for her! Make it a training mission!' My grin returned. I looked back at the toy isle, judging its distance from my current location. It was about two isles away now. I gave a hesitant glance back at Lauri—no, Auntie—before I turned and made my way down the isle towards the toys. I walked normally, mimicking a posture similar to that of the children who were told by their mommies to go get something just down the hall. I had adjusted the pace, making it much less hurried and enthusiastic. I walked as if I was headed somewhere, somewhere specific, and I wanted to get there, but I didn't want to run and knock people down to get there. I didn't glance back at Lauri, didn't check to see if she'd noticed me not there—she probably wouldn't, she always said I was too quiet when she was mad, so quiet she sometimes forgot I was even there. If I glanced back, it would bring attention to me, so I didn't. Instead I walked calmly, purposefully, to the toys section.

I managed to make it to the main isle, the one that separated the toys isles and kitchen stuff isles, without anyone glancing oddly my way. I didn't glance around cautiously like I would on a mission, rather continued walking. Doing that would look susp-suspic—odd, and would attract attention here. Lauri was gonna be so proud of me for getting the toy myself without being noticed! A small grin made its way to my face.

I went, unnoticed, to the toy section. Girly toys—barbie dolls, horses, princesses, fairies, and baby dolls lined the first few shelves I came to. My face wrinkled in disgust. Yuck! Who would want to play with a baby doll or princesses? Trains and cars were much funner to play with!

I found the isles for trains and cars rather quickly, having hurried to get through the ugly girls toys. Yay! I reached the mission's target! There were big cars, small cars, shiny cars, old cars, and construction toys of all shapes and sizes and colors. But all I wanted was a train toy, like Thomas. I glanced around, trying not to seem slightly lost. I had never gone to this section alone before. There! A blue train engine!

"Its Thomas!!" I cried, rushing to the beloved little toy that I had been wanting for two whole weeks now. I wrenched the toy off the shelf and held it tightly in my arms, determined not to drop it in its box-shaped container on my way back to Lauri—um, _Auntie_. I looked around, trying to figure out which way I was supposed to go. Where was I? I had hurried to find the boys section and forgot to make a mental map of my route! I berated myself in my head. That was the most important step to any mission! How could I forget, after a year of learning with Lauri and doing missions with her?

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't figure out which way led back to the kitchen section. I walked around, slowly, hesitantly, trying to figure out which way to go. With each step, confusion and fear crept into my mind. A few isles of wandering later, I found myself panicking. I couldn't find Lauri! Me, an assassin's protégé, was lost in a grocery store! Lauri would be so mad at me when I got back for failing the self-assigned mission! Lauri would be mad at me for not hurrying. Lauri would yell at me and not let me keep my toy! I broke into a run, hoping the kitchenware isle would magically appear like Max and Emmy from Dragon Tales do. It never appeared. Instead, isles of garden stuff appeared instead. Where was Lauri? I was never gonna find Lauri now! I was gonna be lost forever! Lost and unable to get out, like the fire that took away mommy and daddy! I started sniffling and crying again, rooted to the spot I had stopped in to catch my breath.

"Lauri, where are you?" I asked to myself. "Lauri I'm scared, come help me!" A few people glanced my way, giving me sympathetic glances, but none of them stopped. They weren't going down this isle, so they didn't really hear what I said.

Soon, a big, older man in a blue apron approached. I looked up, scared for a minute. Was I gonna get in trouble for crying? I scooted back, hoping he wouldn't yell at me. The big man walked over to me and knelt down to look me in the eye.

His question surprised me. "You okay, kid?"

I shook me head. "N-no mi-mister. I can't fi-find Lau-ah, Auntie!" I was shaking so bad I almost forgot to call Lauri my Aunt. Lauri would get _really_ mad if I didn't call her Auntie.

The man paused, then asked another question. "Do you know her name?" I wanted to say yes, but that would be bad cause the man would call over the intercom for Lauri, which would bring attention to her. Attention was bad, could get us seen! But it would be even worse if Lauri never found me again, cause she wouldn't have her me to help her blend in and do missions. I decided to answer the man's question.

"Um…yeah, I think so." I tried to remember the name Lauri had told me to use for her while we were here in this city. "Its Melanie."

"Ok, good. Can you tell me what she looks like?" I nodded enthusiastically, playing the eager five year old.

"Uh-huh! She's wearing a green shirt, jean pants, and a black jacket! Her hair's long, and pretty blonde! Its so blonde its almost yellow!" I went on and on, telling the man a made up story about how I got separated from 'Auntie Melanie.' By the time my story was over, the man had already called his boss. A message blared over the intercom.

"_Mrs. Melanie Lane, your nephew is looking for you. Please come to the front desk at the gardening section to pick up your nephew." _ The message repeated itself as the nice big man helped me up and led me down the isle. I clutched his big hand, holding my toy close in the other arm.

"You're gonna take me to my Auntie, mister?" I asked, my voice shaking slightly.

"Sure am, kid. What's your name?"

"I'm Andrew!" I said, using the fake name me and Lauri had agreed upon.

The nice man introduced himself as John as he took me over to the desk at the center of the gardening section. John waited there with me for a long while, telling me stories and talking with me about my favorite show—the Thomas toy in my arms had brought it up. I was glad John talked to me, didn't ignore me like Lauri did. I liked talking to the man, telling him all about my show and how 'Auntie Melanie' had taken me to the park the other day. John was really nice, and talking to him made me forget that Lauri wasn't there with me.

Minutes passed, and finally I saw Lauri in the distance, walking towards me pushing a cart full of stuff. I bounced up and down, unable to restrain myself from running to her.

"AUNTIE!!" I jumped into her arms and hugged Lauri tight. "Auntie I got lost and I missed you so much! But this nice man named John found me and helped me! He talked to me and I told him about Thomas the Train Engine!" I rambled, partly real, partly an act, "I missed you so much Auntie!"

Lauri hugged me, and I could sense that her hug wasn't an act. She hugged me just as closely as I did her, and in that instant I knew that Lauri had missed me. While the man had talked to me, I had wondered if Lauri wouldn't come for me, wouldn't take me back with her after getting lost in a simple grocery store. But now I knew that I wasn't just her protégé, just her assistant, I was her little boy, too. Lauri loved me like a new mommy would! I was so happy to be back with Lauri.

Lauri thanked John and we went to check out of the store. All the way home I told Lauri about my adventure getting lost. When we drove into the driveway, Lauri didn't criticize my behavior or compliment it. All she said was "I'm glad you're okay, Todd." And that's all I needed to hear. She never was very vocal about expressing her emotions, and having lived with her for a year I'd learned how to read her. What she was trying to say was that she was so scared when she realized I was missing, and that she'd been afraid I'd get taken away; She was relieved to have me back. At that point I don't think the toy mattered as much as sitting with Lauri; I spent the rest of the day sitting with Lauri, whether it was by her side on the couch or in her office playing with toys while she worked.


	3. Chapter 3

March 25. That particular morning had been a lot more hurried than normal. Five year old Todd had barreled down the stairs, clambering to find his shoes. Lauri had been yelling for him for the past ten minutes, and now stood at the door waiting on him, book in hand. She had promised to take him to the park for successfully completing his last training mission, but he wouldn't get to go unless he got himself ready on time. Unfortunately for Todd, on time was ten minutes ago.

"Todd, hurry it up!" Lauri shouted, "I'm not waiting on you all morning!"

He halted for a short second, paying full attention as he nodded ferverently. "Yes, Lauri! I'm looking for my shoes!"

Lauri sighed. "Five more minutes or else we're staying home today." He yelped and ran as fast as he could to the closet.

"I'm hurrying!" Shoes, empty shoeboxes, fallen jackets, mittens, all of it went flying. Whatever was piled at the bottom of the closet along with the shoes ended up in a half-hazard pile in the hall outside the closet. "Shoes, shoes, where are my shoes?!" More boxes and articles of clothing left the closet and were added to the pile on the floor.

Lauri sighed. "I'm gonna hate picking that up later…." She knew for sure that the boy, in his excitement, would rush out the door, completely forgetting to clean up the mess, and that upon getting home he would either be to hyper or too tired – depending on whether they stayed for a little while or until past lunch - to clean it up.

A loud cry of excitement met her ears; Todd had found his shoes. He hurried to put them on before rushing to her side at the door. "I'm ready now Lauri!" he cried.

She nodded, laughing as she looked down at his shoes. "Todd, your shoes are on the wrong feet…" She knelt down and motioned to the picture of the train. "Remember, the picture goes on the _outside_ not the inside."

Todd gave an 'oh' of understanding. "Ok." Finished showing him, she had him take them off and put them back on right. Once finished, he beamed up at her and motioned to the door. "Can we go now? Please?"

Lauri nodded. "Alright, we're all ready now." With that, they left the house, locking the door behind them, and walked to the park.

When the arrived, children were running about on the playground. It wasn't very crowded yet, and there were only a modest half a dozen children there. Todd's face lit up and, in a display of eagerness uncharistic of the boy, started pulling towards the playground. Lauri gripped his hand tightly, refusing to allow him to run off and play just yet.

Lauri made her way to the benches and sat down. "Here's where I'll be if you need me." She motioned towards the small building near the playground. "There's the bathroom; don't go in there without first coming to get me, alright?"

Todd's face scrunched up in confusion at the orders. "Why?"

Lauri was surprised his mother hadn't told him such things – from what he knew of her, she seemed to have been a very caring, however frail, woman. Still, she didn't let her surprise show on her face, and carried on as if nothing was abnormal about the question. "Because, there could be bad men nearby who would want to take you."

Todd grinned and nodded, as if he had suddenly understood something. "Like the people you kill, you mean?"

In an instant, Lauri slapped him. "_Never_ _say that in public!_"

Shock was apparent on the boy's face, and after a moment, as his face turned back to her, he started sniffling and crying. If he heard her low, angry words he showed no sign of it. "L-Lauri?" He couldn't seem to comprehend why she had done that.

She repeated herself. "Never say that in public, Todd. Yes, that is, in a way, why you can't go near there without me, but you are _never_ to say _anything_ about my job when we are near other people."

Todd sniffed. "Why?"

"Because," Lauri replied, "If someone overheard that I kill bad men, those bad men would find out and they would come and kill me."

Todd gasped. "I don't want you to go away to heaven!"

Lauri almost laughed at the way he phrased that. "Then don't ever say that again."

Todd nodded. "Yes, Lauri! I won't. I promise!"

Lauri smiled. "Good." Todd grinned.

"Alright, go and play now. We'll only be here for an hour, so run along." Lauri said, motioning to the playground.

Todd beamed and turned away, darting away from her and running towards the jungle gym.

"Have fun, kid." She said, her voice a mere whisper. "Because I doubt we'll be able to relax like this for much longer. Very soon, you won't be a child in heart anymore…" her expression became downcast as she watched the five year old play with other children. "…and it will be all my fault." She hoped the boy would relish these times. A day would come when he would not only be unable, for safety's sake, to play in a playground, but he would be too grown up in heart, too tainted, to be able to associate with the children unmarred by the life of a child assassin such as himself.

Author's Note: Yay another chapter! Make sure to read and review, or else I don't know you actually read to the end! Constructive criticism is highly welcomed. Sometime in the next two or three weeks I'll be posting the actual story for this. This fic is just a series of one-shots that I never put into the actual story, it's not the actual fic. Now time for the review replies! I'll reply either by pm or in the author's note, but I just wanted to give a shout out to the my member friends who have reviewed so far! Make sure to check out their fics, cause they write on here too.

Fictionalcharacterwish: Thanks so much for the review! I appreciate it a lot, especially seeing as I don't think you watch Gundam Wing.

Mystics Apprentice: Mystics you've been such a great reviewer! I think you've reviewed all my fics so far, and that means a bunch to me. So what did you think of this one?


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note:

Hi! So yeah I'm just warning all my reviewers that I likely won't be posting for a while. I have AP exams that I need to not only PASS with a 3/5 but a 4/5 in order to get college credit. But luckily for those reading Assassin's Protégé: The Lost Years, I will be posting the ACTUAL story to that, called Assassin's Protégé (its my baby! I love that fic! Mystics Apprentice can tell you that much. ) Anyways, so expect an update/new post for that next, followed by The Fox Boy cause I feel so bad for not updating it in such a long time. I might end up posting a one-shots series for The Fox Boy, eventually, too, now that I think about it, if I ever get around to finishing more of The Fox Boy….i've become super-inspired with Assassin's Protégé, so I'll be honest and say that I'll be working on that for a while, but when I'm not working on that I'll be working on The Fox Boy. Siblings will be updated sporiodically until I can get a clear picture of the personalities of its main characters, Jackson and Ana. This is being posted to all my fanfics. Sorry, but school comes first. You won't have to wait too long, hopefully – I write during my lunch block, so I get some progress daily, at least. So see ya next chapter! In like, a month, probably.

- Kari


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